Upon his arrival in mid July to Chivas USA, defender Jaime Frias said he was living out a dream. The 20-year-old Whittier, Calif. native had recently spent three years in Chivas Guadalajara’s renowned youth academy and was coming off a championship run with the Under-20 squad.

Frias mentioned that one of his professional dreams since he was old enough to dribble a soccer ball was to play for Chivas, and that being able to do so in his native Southern California was everything he could ask for. Last Sunday, the center back made that dream a reality – with little time to even think.

Frias was rushed into action off the bench when defender Steven Purdy was forced to leave the match in the 40th minute after a collision with San Jose Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart. With fellow defender Carlos Bocanegra out of the Red-and-White’s 18, Frias was the go-to guy and was given his pro debut.

“Words can’t explain that feeling,” Frias said. “It was a feeling I always wanted to achieve since I was little. I finally accomplished my goal.”

With the sudden turn of events, Frias, who also played for Chivas USA’s U16s before heading to Guadalajara, found himself battling in a scoreless tie in a Western Conference battle with their in-state rival. As he explains, that situation helped him, in a way, to not over think about the situation, but rather just let his soccer training and instincts take over.

“I wasn’t even able to warm up,” he recalled. “[The Coaches] called me up and I had to go in. It helped me a lot. It didn’t leave me time to be nervous or anything. It was just get in and go to work. It became an ordinary game, same as always, just with that feeling of making your debut.”

With Bocanegra looking to return to the starting lineup, Frias says he is ready should Real call his number once again, whether it be in the Starting XI or off the bench. Should the first-year Goat see action in Chivas’ next match, he will do so in one of the most anticipated and coveted matches for any of the Red-and-White’s players – the SuperClásico.

Sunday’s Week 32 features the Rojiblancos squaring off against cross-hall rival the LA Galaxy in the third and final meeting of this season’s derby, beginning at 2 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center. The Goats enter the match in search of a win to come away with a series split as they serve as the away side in the finale. Meanwhile, the Galaxy sit in fourth place in the Western Conference standings and will fight to earn points to keep them in the playoff picture.

“I feel good and ready to start. Hopefully I get to play. The coaches have just told me to keep playing my game and not to be nervous. [Last week] was a great experience. Other than that, it’s now about staying focused and staying in my spot.”

Sunday’s match will mark 28th regular-season installment of the rivalry and will be televised in English on KDOC-TV and in Spanish on UniMas. Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.